Twenty six people were killed and three others listed missing in downpour which battered nine provincial-level regions in China.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement that 4.9 million people in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou as well as Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chongqing Municipality had been affected by the heavy rainfall since June 18.

Over 3.37 lakh people were relocated and 1.15 lakh others were in urgent need of basic living necessities.

The squall toppled more than 8,700 houses, damaged another 66,000 homes and damaged 42,200 hectares of crops, leading to direct economic losses of USD 653 million.

Among the fatalities, 11 occurred in Hunan, five in Jiangxi and four in Fujian. Guizhou, Guangxi and Chongqing each reported two deaths, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest round of heavy rainfall began to hit south and southwest China on June 18, bringing gale, floods and landslides.